You were brilliant at your job.
Dependable. Trusted.
The person everyone came to when things needed doing properly.
Then you stepped into leadership, or the business grew, or the team you had been part of became the team you're now responsible for.
And the skills that made you excellent before (the doing, the knowing, the fixing) stopped being enough on their own.
Because leadership is not simply about doing more.
Nobody warns you about how different that actually feels.
There is a name for this: the leadership transition gap. Left unsupported, it gets heavier, not lighter.
The Total Leader Academy was built to close that gap properly.
The solution
What is the Total Leader Academy?
The Total Leader Academy's an 18–24 month structured leadership development programme built on the LMI (Leadership Management International) framework, one of the world’s most established leadership development processes, refined over more than 60 years.
It's designed for people who are already capable but who've never been properly taught how to lead.
People who were brilliant before leadership changed the rules.
The Academy works over an extended period because that's how leadership actually develops.
Not in a day or in a workshop.
Through consistent learning, honest reflection and practical application in your real working environment. Until new leadership habits become natural, not forced.
Over 18–24 months, you'll:
✓ Move from reactive to strategic in the way you lead
✓ Build genuine confidence in difficult conversations
✓ Delegate properly and trust the results
✓ Make decisions without the weight you currently carry
✓ Develop a team that takes real ownership
✓ Leave work at work and be present at home
By the end, leadership won’t feel like something you’re trying to keep up with.
The journey
Four stages. One direction.
Stage 1
Personal productivity
Before you can lead others, you need to lead yourself. This stage is about getting out from under the work — managing time, setting clear priorities and building the habits that make leadership sustainable rather than exhausting.
Stage 2
Personal leadership
Great leadership starts with self-awareness. Here you clarify what you actually value, define how you want to lead, and build the confidence to do it with authenticity, rather than performing a version of leadership that doesn't feel like you.
Stage 3
Motivational leadership
This stage is about the people around you. How to inspire rather than instruct. How to build a team that takes real ownership. How to have the conversations that matter with clarity, directly and without them feeling harder than they should.
Stage 4
Strategic leadership
The final stage is about stepping back. Leading the organisation rather than managing the day-to-day. Making decisions with a longer view. Building a culture and a team that continues to perform even when you're not in the room.
The Academy also draws on LMI’s Total Person Development concept with the idea that becoming a better leader means growing as a whole person, not just a more effective one at work. That includes how you manage your health, your relationships, your time outside work and your own sense of what matters.
The foundation
Built on 60 years of leadership development.
LMI's spent more than 60 years developing leadership and productivity programmes that have helped over 2.5 million people across more than 90 countries.
What makes it different is the focus on behavioural change over time, rather than short-term motivation.
Most leadership training creates temporary inspiration. People leave a course feeling energised and then step back into exactly the same patterns within days.
LMI works differently.
Development happens gradually, through repeated application, reflection and accountability in your actual working environment. Not in a training room but in real conversations, real decisions, and real pressures.
That's why the changes last.
Despite 76% of organisations updating their leadership development programmes, only 36% of HR leaders believe they are effective in preparing their people for future challenges.
(Gartner, 2025)
The LMI process was built to address that gap, which is why the focus is on behavioural change over time, not information delivered in a day.
Your Coach
Ash Taylor
Leadership coach · LMI Licensed Director · Founder, The Business Clubhouse
I’m Ash Taylor. For more than 30 years I've coached people through performance, pressure and change.
First through sport. Now through leadership.
The human story
What it looks like from the inside.
Seven months ago she got the promotion. Everyone said it was the right call. Dan opened a bottle of wine. The kids drew a card. It felt like a proper moment.
Today she's first in and last out. Still doing half the team’s work herself because delegating feels slower and less safe. Replaying conversations at night. Telling herself it'll click soon.
It's been seven months though and it hasn't clicked yet.
She hasn't told her manager any of this. He promoted her because he believed in her. She can't be the reason that was a mistake.
She isn't failing. The rules just changed, and nobody told her how to play by the new ones.
“I was brilliant before. I just need someone to show me how to be brilliant at this.”
The defining thought for most people who join the Total Leader Academy.
The most common thing people say when they join is the simplest: “I didn’t realise it wasn’t just me.”
What clients say.
Results that go beyond performance.
"I was stuck in a cycle of constant busyness. Always firefighting, rarely truly productive. Through the programme I learned to plan deliberately, delegate confidently, and set clear boundaries.
The change was immediate. By the mid-point I'd already seen a tangible return of £8,240 a year. This programme didn't just change how I work. It made me happier, both personally and professionally."
Jack Davis
Middlesex in the Community
"I absolutely loved this and came away with so much valuable knowledge. What truly stood out was the interactive nature of the sessions. Engaging with the other participants and hearing their perspectives added so much depth.
This is a must for anyone feeling stuck on autopilot at work. It's the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button, gain fresh perspectives, and approach challenges with renewed energy and purpose."
Joe Maloney
The Wilkinson Partnership
The Investment
A straightforward investment in the right kind of leadership.
The Total Leader Academy's a significant commitment both in time and in investment. It's also the only approach that creates real, lasting behavioural change rather than temporary motivation.
Other LMI programmes
The Total Leader Academy draws on these LMI programmes.
The Academy combines LMI programmes based on where you are in your leadership journey. Each programme can also be taken individually. Get in touch to discuss which is the right starting point, or download a brochure below.
Common questions
Answered honestly.
Ready to take the next step?
You’re probably closer than you think.
Most people who join the Academy aren’t starting from scratch.
They're already capable. They just need the structure, support and space to grow into the leader they already have the potential to be.
The first step is a private conversation.
No commitment. No pressure.
Just a chance to talk about where things feel difficult and whether this would help.
